The majority of U.S. citizens now support building a border wall, according to a poll from Monmouth University released Monday.
Monmouth University has been surveying public attitudes toward building a wall at the southern border since 2015, when Former President Donald Trump made it an integral part of his campaign. Support for the wall has swelled from a low point of 35% during the Trump administration, to now 53%, with only 46% in opposition, according to the Monday poll.
The survey showed an increase in concern about illegal entries to the United States across all voters since 2015, with 61% now considering it a “very serious problem.” Between 2015 and 2019, the percentage of voters who viewed illegal immigration as a “very serious problem” ranged from 43% to 49%.
In addition, perceptions of the dangers of illegal migrants have shifted. In regards to the belief that illegal migrants were more likely to commit “violent crimes” like rape or murder as opposed to U.S. citizens, the percentage of those who agreed with the sentiment rose to 32% from just 17% in 2015.
The poll was conducted from Feb. 8-12, and 902 adults were surveyed. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Changes in attitude, changes in latitude:
New Monmouth poll: 61% view illegal immigration as VERY SERIOUS issue (+15 from 2019).
53% favor border wall with Mexico, 46% oppose. (Was 42% favor, 56% oppose in 2019).https://t.co/Bb4LpuP2in
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) February 26, 2024
Border encounters have surged to record numbers. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded the highest number of migrant encounters ever in the month of Dec. 2023.
Seven Governors of sanctuary states asked the Biden administration and congress in a signed letter in January for more assistance for the migrant surge.
“As Governors representing over 100 million Americans, we write to call on Washington to work together to solve what has become a humanitarian crisis,” the governors wrote. “The sustained arrival of individuals seeking asylum and requiring shelter and assistance, due to lack of Congressional action on infrastructure and policies, can only be addressed with federal organizational support and funding to meet the public safety and humanitarian needs of our local communities.” (RELATED: ‘Sanctuary City’: Abbott Busing Migrants To New York City After Mayor Adams Criticized DC Effort)